My interview with Mona Barthel - Star in the Making

Last week I had the opportunity to witness a player who could be a new star in the making.

Her name is Mona Barthel from Germany and she received a confidence boost by winning the WTA Paris Indoor event at the Stade de Coubertin.  Mona won the title in style winning all of her matches in straight sets at the business end of the tournament with an incredible display of attacking tennis which the Parisians enjoyed immensely.

A friend of mine who works for the WTA tour told me 12 months ago to check out Mona Barthel, he was convinced that she is the most talented of the German players coming through and has the most potential if she believed in herself and things fell into place.  That’s the beauty and difficult thing about top level sport, identifying potential and hopefully watching it come to fruition.  Some players can take a bit longer to realise it, but what that means is when they are ready to fulfil their potential, they are mature enough to stay there and deal with the inevitable highs and lows top level competition brings.

Perhaps in Paris we saw the start of that potential starting to be realised.  I’ve been watching  tennis for 20 years while commenting for half of that period and every so often you see a player with a game that seems to be a notch above the others.  I recall watching Pete Sampras play defending champion Andre Agassi at Wimbledon in 1993 and thinking this guy was going to be really good because he had great shotmaking ability.  I also remember watching Justine Henin in 2000 at the Canadian Open with her backhand and thinking wow.  And in 2011 even though Petra Kvitova lost the Eastbourne final, I left the stadium convinced she would win Wimbledon (wish I put a bet on that…) 

Why do I think Mona is a bit special?  She plays a brand of tennis that is getting rarer and rarer in both the mens and womens game.  Surface speeds have had a part to play in that but I’ve also often wondered if state of mind and willingness to play a certain style is a factor.

In the Paris indoor quarterfinal, Mona defeated Marion Bartoli, breaking Marion’s usually strong fighting spirit which is rare to see.  The first set went to a tiebreaker after an exchange of breaks and Marion took a 6-2 lead and you would have thought that was the set; but Mona saved 4 set points in a row with bold play to take the tiebreak 9-7 which left the Parisian crowd bemused and perplexed.  I’ve watched Marion play many times over the years in Eastbourne (where she won the title), Wimbledon and Paris but this was the first time I’ve seen her beaten before a match is over. 

That is what a player serving well can do, it gives them confidence to raise their return level which in turn can give a level of hopelessness to an opponent.  That is what Barthel did to her opponents last week in Paris, if she was playing well her opponents felt they didn’t have much of a chance.

Mona plays what used to be referred to as the big game, she has superior talent to impose her game regardless of the opponent.  This type of game involves been prepared to take risks on the serve, take to the net and go for the returns in a controlled but aggressive fashion.  It sounds simple but is not easy to do, it takes a combination of being blessed with natural power, having a certain mentality and using conventional grips for economy and efficiency of movement. 

Mona possesses all of these attributes and is quite tall as well which helps.  Her willingness to get to net is a joy to watch , and her volley technique is very good, she puts slice on forehand volleys and not just push the ball which so many modern players do which leads to unforced errors so often.  Her half volleys were superb; on one point in the final against Errani, she came in and hit a half volley in the corner for a clean winner which left Errani stunned, the sort of stuff Sampras used to do.  The guy next to me was getting very excited, saying things like “magnifique!”

Mona is also willing to hit shots down the line off both wings either for winners or to stretch her opponent so she can come in to net and take floating balls out of the air.  Her movement is quite good for a tall player and she is willing to scramble to stay in the rally until she can get a possibility to get the point on her terms.  But what I found really stood out was her serve.  Mona has potentially the best serve in the world after Serena Williams and could take over as the best server in the world once Serena leaves the scene.

I have often discussed that the technical standard of serving today is not quite up there.  There are many players who can serve fast on the first serve but not many can serve with real precision and deception at pace.  Mona is already mastering the key serves that should take her game to the next level; the slider serve on the deuce and ad court, the big serve down the middle and a strong 2nd serve.  

Having these 3 components whilst possessing the ability to hit lines means the returner has to get into the guessing game, which always makes for a great spectacle for those interested in thinking man’s tennis, the returner has to adjust and come up with something.  Her service motion in many ways is reminiscent of a young Pete Sampras in terms in terms of smoothness and good knee bend and the ability to come over the ball with slice and topspin at pace; it is an elegant service motion.  Mona’s strong 2nd serve will be needed should she progress up the rankings and start to challenge for major tournaments in future.

Having put together such an exciting game is a tribute to her coaching staff.  In my article “The match that changed tennis”  I mentioned that future aggressive players coming through will depend on coaches and young players willing to buck the trend of the safe counterpunching style of play and show that risk and reward tennis can still a viable tactic at the top level.  Make no mistake, risk and reward in a controlled fashion, not hitting wild shots and racking up a large amount of errors.  

The combination of having a great serve and a great game to back it up is an exciting combination which can take a player to the very top. Players like Lindsay Davenport, Venus and Serena Williams have shown that in recent times. If Mona Barthel can keep improving, working hard, continue to build her self-belief and study the past masters, she might one day become a household name and be a contender at the major tournaments and hopefully win the big prizes.

Mona was kind enough to answer some questions after her win in Paris last week:

1. Congratulations on winning the title at the WTA Paris indoor event (Open GDF Suez).  A lot of great players have won there in the 20 years of its existence, including Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf, Serena Williams and Amelie Mauresmo.  How does it feel to win such a prestigious event?

Thank you. It is amazing to win such a "big" tournament. So many great players have won it before. It came really unexpected to me. I was so happy, when I won the first round. And then I won match by match and suddenly I was in the final. I beat three players in the Top 15, so it was a great week for me. When I read the names of the former champions, it is quite unreal for me to be on the same list. But of course, it is a good feeling:)

2. You were able to win the quarterfinal, semifinal and final in straight sets, against last year’s finalist Marion Bartoli and French Open finalist Sara Errani.  How much confidence do you feel such a win would give you as your career develops?

This tournament was some kind of a breakthrough for me, because last year I had a lot of close matches against the top players, but I wasn't able to win them. In Paris it was different, especially in the tough moments, I was able to play my best tennis.

3. Last summer I interviewed Angelique Kerber and pointed out that there were a crop of young German players coming through and doing very well on the WTA tour and pushing each other up the rankings.  What do you think is the reason or factor in so many players coming through at a similar age? 

It's true, there are so many good German players right now, which is really nice to see. But to be quite honest, I don't know a reason for it. I think a lot of things has to come together, to have so many good players. But what we have, is a good atmosphere. We are supporting each other and like you said " pushing each other up the rankings".

4. I am fascinated with your serving ability, when I watched you in Paris your service motion reminded me of a young Pete Sampras from the early 1990s in terms of smoothness and technicality.  How did you develop such a technically strong serve?  Is it something you worked on a lot or is it something that came naturally? 

Well first of all, thank you very much. It's really nice to get compared with such a good server. I always had a good serve, but it wasn't always consistent. I was working on it in the offseason a lot, trying to get a higher first serve percentage and getting a more aggressive second serve. And it improved a lot and it is helping me so much on court.

5. Your willingness to get to net is refreshing in an era where many players are content to stay back and keep the rallies going or only going to net “to shake hands” as they say; you are also happy to take the ball out of the air and throw in the odd serve and volley.  Is there a reason you enjoy coming to net so much, or do you adopt certain strategies depending on opponents?

Well I think it is coming naturally. If I feel, I have a good chance to go to the net, I take it. I enjoy playing volleys and it suits my game as well.

6. Which players did you admire and enjoy most when you were growing up?

When I was young, I really liked Steffi Graf. She was playing so nice and was so successful. And I think, she has a great personality as well. I was wearing the same clothes like her and had the same racquet. Even if people asked for my name, I said it's "Steffi". They didn't believe me and wanted to know my real name. But I said " It's Steffi, you can see, I am wearing her clothes". I was about 4 or 5 at that time:). But I still admire her.

7. Which players would you have liked to play from the past and why?

I would choose Steffi Graf. Like I said, she was my idol growing up and it would be great to play with her.

8.  What would you say are your medium to long term goals for your career?

I am more focussing on my game rather than my ranking. If I am improving and playing better tennis, my ranking will go up automatically.

9. What do you think are your greatest strengths on a tennis court?

I would say, my strength is my love for the game. I just enjoy playing tennis and playing against the best players in the world. In my opinion, that is the most important thing.

10. What things do you like to do outside of tennis? 

I like to do a lot off the court. I think, it's really important to have a balanced life and not to think all the time about tennis. For example I created and I am still updating my own website. In the offseason I designed and sewed two of my tennis dresses. I did it for the first time and it is a nice feeling to wear your own dresses. Otherwise, if I have the chance, I like to see things of the places, I am visiting. Last year I went to a lot of musicals and museums, which I really enjoyed.

My vist to WTA Paris Indoors 2013 (Open GDF Suez)

I returned to London today after attending the WTA Paris Indoors (Open GDF Suez) at the Stade Pierre de Coubertin in the south west corner of Paris.

It is the 2nd year in a row I attended the event.  Last year the tournament celebrated 20 years with a special exhibition with tournament Director Amelie Mauresmo, Monica Seles, Martina Hingis and Martina Navratilova; and Angelique Kerber won her first title in a thriller of a final against Marion Bartoli in front of a raucous partisan crowd.

I wasn’t expecting a repeat of that sort of drama and excitement but it was an enjoyable tournament; and for the 2nd year in a row, an exciting young German player won the event, the sort of win that can lead to bigger and better things in her career.

I attended the quarterfinals onwards and four good matches were lined up.  The first between Dutch qualifier Kiki Bertens and Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic.  The 1st set went in a flash, Safarova started play and was 3-0 down within ten minutes, Safarova got one break back but was broken again, leaving Bartens to serve for a 6-1 set.

What was interesting was Safarova’s reluctance to go to net. She hit the ball well, but didn’t take on any short ball to follow into net, preferring to prolong the rallies and often losing the point when potentially in a winning position – not taking the initiative.  This lack of enterprise may explain why a player as talented as Safarova has not progressed to top 10 level despite her experience on the tour.

The 2nd set was closer and Safarova finally realised she needed to close the net down to make things happen, she came in 8 times and won 6 of the points, but by now Bartens was playing well in both defence and offence, hitting some big shots and was able to break late on to take the match 6-1 7-5 for her biggest career win.

The next encounter was an intriguing matchup between Carla Suarez Navarro and Sara Errani.  Two of the smaller players on the tour these days, you would expect to see some good counterpunching.  I had never seen Suarez Navarro live before but knew all about her one hand backhand which is a great shot.

It turned out to be the match of the tournament, 3 hours of superb, intense tennis with some incredible shotmaking, particularly from Suarez who hit some mesmerising backhands which the crowd loved.  Not least a stunning running backhand down the line pass first point at 4-3, a shot often considered one of the most technically difficult in tennis.

Errani took a quick 3:0 lead in the first set, Suarez came storming back to serve for the set at 5-3 only to get nervous and not able to close it out. Errani capitalised to break again and claim the set 7-5.  The tactics were interesting because there were many long diagonal rallies backhand to backhand, with Suarez often looking to open up the court with a backhand down the line or with an inside out forehand.  Errani as usual was solid with those pounding topspin groundstrokes; this match was more similar to a mens encounter tactically. Suarez opened up the court with some incredible backhand winners throughout the match, and hit some great crosscourt forehand winners as well.

Suarez broke Errani right at the death to take the 2nd set 6-4 to force a decider.  I was expecting Errani’s greater experience and consistency to come through and that proved to be the case, although Suarez did have match point at 5-4 but was unable to convert.  Errani broke soon after to serve for a great match 7-5 4-6 7-5.

I was really impressed with Suarez and the crowd loved her one hander backhand and style of play.  I just got the feeling that Suarez chose to play the wrong shot at the wrong moment just a bit too often.  Errani’s serve just sits up and Suarez could have attacked it much more often, choosing to stand back and take the return late instead of standing in and taking it early to put the pressure on.  No doubt Suarez has the ability to win WTA titles if she can acquire more self-belief and consistency to go with her talented shotmaking.

The 3rd match was between Mona Barthel of Germany and last year’s finalist Marion Bartoli.  It got me thinking, could Mona Barthel be Germanic for Marion Bartoli?? Anyway, a friend of mine on the WTA tour had been telling me to check out Barthel a year ago saying that she was going to be a very good player; this would be the first opportunity to see her play live.

This match turned out to be a complete contrast to the previous one.  Both players started off serving big and direct, going for their 1st and 2nd serves with no holding back, looking to get to net at every opportunity.  Rallies proved to be extremely short, like a shootout, a female version of Roddick v Raonic of two years ago in Memphis.

After an exchange of breaks, the set went to an inevitable tiebreak with both players serving so well.  Bartoli rushed to a commanding 6-2 lead, but Barthel stormed back remarkably to take the tiebreak 9-7.  This may explain why the crowd seemed a bit subdued because Barthel's serve was so good it was difficult to see where Bartoli would break again.

Bartoli cracked at the start of the 2nd set dropping serve, Barthel held serve throughout the 2nd set to take the match 7-6 6-4.  It was the second year Bartoli would lose to a German player who would turn out to be champion.

In the womens game, I have seen many players serve fast over the last few years, but Barthel places her serve so well, she can hit lines and all targets of the service box, including the slice serve on both deuce and ad courts plus the big serve down the middle.  Her slice serve on the ad court is top notch and is an important shot which other players cannot match in the modern game because they do not practice it enough, Barthel can hit it there like Serena Williams. 

The final match of the evening took place between Petra Kvitova and young French qualifier Kristina Mladenovic.  Perhaps Kvitova was aware of the fact Mladenovic beat Wickamyer and Georges in previous rounds because she started extremely nervous and was two breaks down within 15 minutes.   Kvitova got one break back but Mladenovic was really mixing up her big serve well, getting a few aces in to keep Kvitova guessing.  At the same time, Kvitova’s trusted wide serve on the ad court had gone off completely, draining her confidence.

Mladenovic took the set 6-3 and even though Kvitova broke early in the 2nd set, she was not able to sustain It and Mladenovic broke back at 4-3 and then broke Kvitova for the final time to take the match 6-3 6-4.  It was another great win which really got the French crowd excited, at the same time it was clear that Petra Kvitova is still struggling for form and needs to play as many tournaments as possible to get the feeling of winning matches.  If she does that I have no doubt with her talent she will be up there again.

So, the final would be an intriguing clash of tennis philosophy and style of play. In the semifinals, Barthel was able to dispatch Mladenovic with some ease and Errani capitalised on Bertens’ retirement.  The first few games of the final were very tight with both players feeling each other out; the pattern was established quite early, serve vs return of serve in traditional fashion.  Barthel was getting to net at every opportunity, even throwing in the odd serve and volley, while Errani was continually serving to Barthel’s forehand on the deuce court, keeping her at bay for fear of being attacked by serving weak serves into Barthel’s hitting zone.

Barthel got the first break to serve for the set at 5-3 but got nervous and Errani came back as she so often does.  However, after a tough service game at 5-5, Barthel broke Errani who was serving to stay in the set, and so claimed it 7-5.  Errani held her serve from 0-40 down early in the 2nd set and was hanging on; Barthel was serving incredibly and hitting fantastic winners from the back and some great volley winners too.  Errani tried to bring Barthel in with drop shots as well to test her movement, there were some fantastic rallies.

Barthel broke to serve for the match and again got nervous, allowing Errani back in, and after saving two match points took it to a tiebreak.  As Frew McMillan said years ago, the player with the bigger serve usually wins the tiebreak and that proved to be the case again, Barthel winning it in convincing fashion to win the 2nd title of her career and acclaim from an appreciative crowd for both players.

Errani’s plan was to make Barthel hit as many shots as possible in long gruelling rallies. But Barthel’s serve was just too good and was able to keep the points short and attack the net whenever she could.  The phrase that popped into my head is that Barthel serves like an assassin with clinical precision, so may returns go astray, ricochet into the tramlines, hit the net or land short for a midcourt put away, that is pretty rare in the womens game.

So, for the 2nd year in a row, I left the tournament feeling I’ve just seen a special talent who could go really far if she can maintain this level of consistency and continue to improve her movement and self-belief.  Mona Barthel may not just be top 5 material but potential to be a major winner in the future as well.